Playing the Role
by mozartrox05
Summary: Hermione returns from her summer trip to explore the world of drama...little does she know that she will find herself in the arms of a VERY undesirable leading man...guess who? Chapter 6 up!!!
1. Missing Ya

Hey everyone! Okay…this is my second fic and I'm not done with the first one, but for the record, I promise I won't stop writing it (this goes out to my loyal readers….both of you! lol) anyways….this is just a random idea I had and I couldn't find a way to fit it into my current fic….but enough about that…

**Playing the Role**

**Chapter 1 – Missing Ya**

            Hermione swallowed and felt her ears pop on the plane as it slowly descended. She leaned her head against the plane window, listening to her mind's steady flow of consciousness. She smiled to herself – Hermione Granger never stopped thinking.

            She was already far ahead of her peers. After she had found out that Hogwarts was requiring a study abroad credit, she had wasted no time in booking her flight to Boston and asking how she could earn extra points. _No wonder some people find me annoying, _she chuckled…_I'm such a goody-goody…_

            The trip to Massachusetts had only been three weeks long, and she still had plenty of her summer left. She couldn't wait to get back to visit Harry and Ron at the Burrow; she absentmindedly fingered the sleeve of the t-shirt she had bought for Ron. She had had a hard time finding something for Harry, despite his request that "all he wanted were pictures of those hot American girls….pleeeease 'Mione?!" She had finally settled on just bringing back a penny. She had pierced a whole right above Abraham Lincoln's head and strung a black piece of yarn through it. She had figured it was something that Harry would wear…he was always interested in Muggle things, even though he already knew so much about them.

            As the clouds gave away to faint hints of landscape, Hermione thought about her other plans for the summer. Along with her study abroad credit, she had also wanted to get her fine arts credit out of the way. She planned to get everything done before her seventh year started. That way, she could focus all year on studying for the NEWTs…she shivered with excitement. For her "fine art," she had chosen drama. She signed up to play a role in a wizard theater group hidden in London, but she had no idea what character she was playing. _Oh well, it'll be exciting nonetheless…_

            She munched on her airline pretzels and twisted a lock of chocolate colored hair around her finger. She had gotten some products in Boston that had done wonders for her former mane. She was actually quite proud of the way the soft waves framed her face, which had tanned and thrown a splash of freckles across her nose from all the time she had spent walking around Newbury Street. Even despite her confidence in her appearance, however, Hermione was still desperate for acceptance. She couldn't help hoping that everyone would approve of her new façade. _Why do I care so much? It's not like I have anyone to impress…Her small smile quickly changed to a thoughtful frown. __No…I really don't have anyone do I? Oh well…no matter…maybe I'll meet someone this summer…_

            The plane had landed, and Hermione could see the familiar airport in London around her. She grabbed her carry-on and trekked to the gate entrance, where she dropped her coat and bag in surprise.

"Ron!?"

The tall redhead grinned and swept her up into a crushing hug, burying his face in her hair.

"Heard you needed a ride, milady." He took an exaggerated bow, extending his arm.

"Shall we?"

She giggled at his forced manners and surprised him by latching onto his arm. Her smile disappeared as she saw his look darken suddenly. She whipped around to follow his gaze, only seeing a retreating figure in a black cloak and several other passengers who she recognized from her flight.

"Ron? What is it?"

"Thought I saw someone I'm not too fond of," he muttered, before resuming his previous happy look. "You know, Hermione, we can't go yet…" He had a joking look on his face, and he had spoken too loudly for it to be normal. Hermione knew to expect another surprise.

"I SAID….WE CAN'T LEAVE NOW, HERMIONE!!" Ron called out.

Hermione snorted at his "cue" and looked around for the face she knew she would see.

"AUUGH!!" she shrieked, spinning around to find herself face-to-face with a grinning Harry Potter, pleased at the success of his tickle attack.

"Miss me?" he prompted, giving her his lopsided grin.

She wrapped him in the biggest hug she could with her slender arms. He laughed and offered his arm to her as she grabbed Ron's elbow again. Hermione Granger walked out of the airport a very happy witch. _It's good to be home…_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Hey! So…yay my first chapter is done…please review…you know I would do it for you! I know this chapter wasn't very eventful, and I know you guys are waiting for conflict….no worries…I PROMISE it'll be in the next chapter…because I know that conflict creates interesting stories….no one likes to read happy fluff….well…sometimes I do…I dunno….depends what mood I'm in…anyways….

REVIEW!!! **hugs**

I will reply to each and every one of my reviewers….another promise…J thanks guys! You mean the world to me!

Xoxo…Kate


	2. More Surprises

PsYcHoJo: Glad it wasn't too much of a pain - I hope it gets better! Thanks for your review!  
  
Hermione: hee hee..thanks for your understanding.formatting is soooo tough!  
  
Hpfanatic1: Thanks so much for your enthusiastic review.I promise that I'll update as often as possible! Hope to gets more reviews from you!  
  
CH127: lol..molly you know I luv ya! Keep reviewing!  
  
I still need a beta-reader! Let me know if you wanna do it for me..thankx! BTW, flames are welcome..I am completely open to ways to improve my story! Help me out and REVIEW!!!  
Chapter 2 - More Surprises  
  
"Guess what, Hermione? Guess what?" Ron was practically bouncing in his seat in the cab the three were sharing.  
  
Hermione laughed at his eagerness. "Aren't you done for today, Mr. Weasley?"  
  
"I'm responsible!"  
  
Harry snorted at Ron's outburst and stifled a snicker.  
  
Hermione's face displayed complete amusement. "Why are you so responsible, Ron?"  
  
"'Cause I'm going to get my fine arts credit.with you! I signed up like you suggested! See?! I'm taking initiative or whatever.aren't you proud of me?"  
  
Ron reminded Hermione of an energetic puppy, and she glanced over to see Harry holding his stomach in silent laughter. She grinned.  
  
"Fantastic, Ron! I thought I was the only one from our school who was doing it! That's so great that you'll be there too.maybe you'll be the leading man." She nudged him and winked. His ears turned a bright crimson.  
  
"Well I thought you'd be happy," he mumbled with embarrassment.  
  
Hermione WAS happy. She had just come home to her two best friends only to find out that She could spend the rest of her summer with one of them. What could be better?  
  
"Oh yeah! And Harry's on the stage crew!"  
  
Hermione turned to Harry and smiled. It was expected. Obviously the boy who had been center-stage his whole life didn't want to be the star this time. It was very noble of him to give Ron a chance.  
  
She heard Harry mumble something about "not being able to stay at the Burrow all alone..don't know how I would last with Fred and George's pranks, not to mention Ginny hanging on my every word."  
  
Hermione beamed. Nothing could go wrong.  
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
"I guess this is it."  
  
Hermione glanced up from her large map of London at a blank, rusty sign on its last life.  
  
Ron wrinkled his nose. "Looks like a classy place, huh guys?"  
  
Harry tilted his head and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Ladies first."  
  
Hermione slowly twisted the creaky doorknob and stepped inside the newly revealed musty room, only to find another door. Ron followed closely behind as she pushed it open.  
  
"Aw, bloody hell. How many doors ARE there?"  
  
Yet another door stood before them, and Hermione pushed it open as well.  
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  
  
"Good grief!" Hermione crossed her arms. It was thirty-six doors later, and she was becoming impatient. "One more door, and I swear I'm leaving. The credit just isn't worth it!"  
  
She turned the knob in front of her to reveal - another door.  
  
"That's it - I'm out." Ron turned around, only to find that the door behind him had disappeared.  
  
"What the-?"  
  
"Such is the journey into your soul, Mr. Weasley. Once you go far enough, you cannot return," a husky voice pierced through the dim room. A dark figure glided across the room.  
  
"Mr Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger - WELCOME," the voice paused, " to the most insightful month of your life."  
  
REVIEW!!!! Thanks!!  
  
XOXO..Kate 


	3. Play the Part

*sing-song voice* Guess who needs a beeeeeeeta-reeeeeeeeader? IIIII doooooo IIIIII doooo!!! Review and let me know if you want to beta for me! It would be a big help!  
** indicate Hermione's thoughts  
Chapter 3 - Play the Part  
Hermione gasped as the half-light in the room illuminated the face belonging to the voice.  
  
"Moody?!"  
  
Harry and Ron gaped, and Hermione, for once, was at a loss for words.  
  
The old Auror turned away from the stunned students and pressed the tips of his fingers together in contemplation. Turning his head so that his piercing gaze rested on Hermione, he spoke again:  
  
"I'm not going to ask you if you're ready. That much is to be expected. It would do you well to not think of this experience as a credit for Hogwarts, but rather as a credit for your sense of identity."  
  
Ron's mouth was still hanging open.  
  
"Sweet Merlin!" he gawked, "Mad-Eye Moody!"  
  
"It's Moderately Eccentric Eye Moody, thank you," the older man replied crisply.  
  
"Not to be disrespectful, sir," Harry began, "but why are YOU teaching this class?"  
  
Moody sighed. "It's a long story, but let's just say that Albus decided to check up on me and sent Hagrid. Errr, I might have accidentally given Hagrid an extra head or two, and later on he complained of a drunken headache - although I doubt very much that that was MY doing. Albus wanted to give me job to do, so here I am.."  
  
With that, he mumbled something to himself about the dangers of sending big men around scaring people. Hermione chuckled. This was certainly going to be an interesting class.  
  
Moody had finished his discussion with himself and turned to fix his gaze on the three teenagers.  
  
"We will be performing Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, and I will assign roles in the order that you signed up."  
  
Hermione glanced around the room and suddenly noticed at least six other students that had their attention fixed on Moody. She scanned their shadowed features, searching for a familiar face but finding none.  
  
"Hermione Granger."  
  
She turned in rapt attention to the older man before her.  
  
"You were the first to sign up, so I have decided to give you the role of Katherine."  
  
Hermione sighed in disappointment. She knew enough about Muggle literature to realize that Katherine was "the shrew." She would have preferred a quieter role, but she kept her comments to herself and accepted her script.  
  
"Appropriate role for you, Mudblood," a deep voice murmured into her ear, not even inches away.  
  
"Draco Malfoy..you will be our Petruchio."  
  
Hermione didn't have to turn around to know who had spoken to her. Who else called her "Mudblood"? She tensed as the figure behind her glided past to take the rolled parchment from Moody. Even in the dim lighting, Malfoy's hair was almost white. Hermione cursed her misfortune.  
  
*Petruchio!? Why him? That means we'll have to..oh no! EW! Malfoy?!*  
  
He turned around and smirked at her, wiggling his eyebrows. "I suppose I'll have to seduce you, my lady fair," he asserted mockingly.  
  
"Sorry Malfoy, I don't snog Deatheaters."  
  
In less than a second he was over to her and grabbing her arms tightly in his hands.  
  
*OOOWW*  
  
She didn't want him to hear her cry out, and she knew that it would only make him happy to see her in pain. He was staring hard into her eyes and she into his. He loosened his grip a bit, but still whispered dangerously, "Don't talk about things you don't know, Granger."  
  
Moody stood away, handing a girl from Beauxbottoms the role of Bianca, but still quietly observing the interaction between the two leading roles. Wisdom and amusement flickered in his steady gaze as he called out the next name.  
  
"Ron Weasley..Baptista."  
  
Hermione shifted her eyes from Malfoy's to watch her friend take his script.  
  
*Ron's going to be my FATHER? Weird..*  
  
She slowly turned her head back to face Malfoy once more. He was still looking at her, but his eyes had lost their focus. He squeezed her arms tighter and seemed to be thinking about something.  
  
*Look at that grimace..I wonder what horrible things are on his mind...whoa OW!*  
  
Hermione couldn't take it any longer. "OW! Malfoy! You're hurting me!"  
  
He snapped to attention and shoved her away violently. "So what?" She massaged her arms and took note of the blue bruises forming just above her elbows.  
  
*Merlin, he has strong hands! Ooowww...*  
  
He spun around and stalked off without saying anything more to her. She sighed, not at all looking forward to the next 21 days. She brushed her hair out of her face and followed Malfoy's retreating figure across the room with her eyes; this was not unnoticed by Moody.  
  
"Perhaps this time Shakespeare will seem quite a bit more accessible," he thought to himself. "They are casted perfectly."  
Ok guys, I'm sorry about all the Shakespeare, but you'll get the gist of the play as the fic goes on. By the way, if you haven't read Taming of the Shrew, you should - it's a comedy, and a really understandable play. Plus it fit my story, so there we go. Any questions? Ask away, but they'll most likely be answered throughout the rest of the story.  
  
Double Author's notes in the next chapter because the "site is experiencing overload and I should return in a few minutes.." I hate that! Anyways, 2 times the A/N next time! REVIEW!  
  
XOXO-Kate 


	4. Have a Seat

Sorry I forgot this on my last chapters, but here's the long-awaited disclaimer:

I own a car, Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I'm lying.

Lotsa Shakespeare in this chapter, so if you don't like old Billie-boy, I suggest that you stop reading…NOW. Otherwise, have fun and PLEASE review!!

Here's Chapter 4…Enjoy!

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Chapter 4 – Have a Seat

Moody had finished distributing scripts. "I suggest you read the short summaries before each scene that I have prepared for you," he rasped. "Where is my Bianca?"

A short, blonde girl stepped forward.

"You will work with our Lucentio for your love scene in the garden. Go now – read from your scripts but read with feeling! We have but three weeks."

Moody turned his head and fixed his eye on Hermione. "I would recommend finding your Petruchio and working on Act II, Scene I – after Baptista, Tranio, Gremio, and Hortensio's exit…"

He waved her off and turned to Ron to assign his time with Gremio and Hortensio.

*bloody 16th century names…I know enough about Shakespeare to know that he should find some names that end in a different vowel*

In a bitter mood, Hermione scanned the room for Malfoy's platinum hair, but he seemed to have disappeared.

"How now, _sweet Kate." A mysterious whisper pierced the happy chatter around her. She cringed and whipped around to face a smirking Malfoy._

"Bloody hell, Malfoy – will you STOP that? I swear…you just pop out of nowhere scaring people…" she trailed off, noticing Ron's head snap up at the sound of her frustration. She saw him excuse himself from his rehearsal group and stalk over. Hermione put a hand on her forehead and shifted her weight uneasily.

*Oh no…Ron, please don't make a scene…PLEASE…*

"What did you DO, Malfoy?!"

*Great…just great*

Everyone looked up from their places at the new scene that was writing itself before their eyes.

Ron was beet-red and furious, glaring at Malfoy.

"Easy, Weasel…I didn't realize the stupid little Mudblood was on the endangered species list…"

Ron clenched his fists, barely able to restrain himself from strangling the blond boy then and there.

"MR. WEASLEY! Kindly return to your place and leave others to rehearse ON THEIR OWN!" Moody asserted icily from the middle of the room.

Ron stammered. "But – I…"

"THANK YOU MR. WEASLEY." Moody glared at him coldly and pointed a bony finger to Ron's former seat. Ron tramped away, not before giving Malfoy a frigid stare and Hermione a worried glance.

*He's so protective…he really could be my father…weird…and creepy…*

As much as she loved her best friend for watching out for her, Hermione was slightly annoyed at his outburst.

*I can completely handle myself – and Malfoy…I'll show them all…*

She turned back to her scene partner and glowered at him defiantly. "Let's get this over with, Malfoy."

"With pleasure," he sneered, flipping to the scene summary and dictating in a mocking voice: "Bianca has three suitors wanting her hand in marriage. She, however, cannot be married until her older sister – Katherine – is wed. Petruchio – that's me - decides to help his friend Hortensio (who is an inquiring suitor for Bianca) by marrying Katherine. He tries to win her affection…"

He stopped and glanced up, looking like he had just swallowed something sour. He cursed Moody under his breath and began his lines:

"I will attend her here,  
And woo her with some spirit when she comes." He grimaced, but continued.  
"Say that she rail; why then I'll tell her plain  
She sings as sweetly as a nightingale…" He glanced up at her, muttering, "Granger? Sing? Yeah right…" He picked up where he had stopped.  
"Say that she frown, I'll say she looks as clear  
As morning roses newly wash'd with dew…"

*He reads like a robot*  
  


"Say she be mute and will not speak a word;  
Then I'll commend her volubility,  
And say she uttereth piercing eloquence:  
If she do bid me pack, I'll give her thanks,  
As though she bid me stay by her a week:  
If she deny to wed, I'll crave the day  
When I shall ask the banns and when be married…" He resumed his sour look.

  
"But here she comes; and now…"

Hermione interrupted him, putting her hands on her hips. "Draco Malfoy – I don't think that anyone could corrupt the brilliance of Shakespeare better than you! And WHY all the commentary? I know you hate me, and you know that I detest you! OBVIOUSLY you aren't making this easier on either of us!" She humphed and picked up her script, noting the delight in his eyes at getting a wild reaction out of her.

"This is my entrance," she muttered, her rage calmed.

"Good morrow, Kate; For that's your name, I hear," Malfoy spoke without looking at his lines.

*He has apparently done a little reading…Fine…I'll play his little game…*

Hermione was pleased with herself for studying Shakespeare. She had successfully memorized many soliloquies from a few of his major plays. Fortunately for her, _The Taming of the Shrew_ was one of her first. She rose herself to her fullest height, but still being a good 6 inches shorter than he, decided to make up for her stature with the aggression that she KNEW Katherine must be feeling in the scene.

"Well have you heard, but something hard of hearing:  
They call me Katharina that do talk of me." She threw her script down, relying completely on her memory.

"You lie, in faith; for you are call'd plain Kate,  
And bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the CURSED…" He emphasized the last word and smirked before continuing, "But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom  
Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,  
For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate,  
Take this of me, Kate of my consolation;  
Hearing thy mildness praised in every town…"

Hermione took pleasure in the grimace on his face that increased with every compliment he gave her. She knew he wouldn't stop.

*He can't stand to lose a game – especially to ME…Malfoy pride comes in useful sometimes…*

He scowled. "Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded,  
Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs,  
Myself am moved to woo thee…" He paused. "For my wife."

Hermione hated to admit it, but she was impressed. It must have taken a lot of initiative to memorize all those lines. She grinned at him, thrilled that she would now be able to return all of his compliments (although she knew they were empty and not sincere), with a smart-aleck remark – only to hear him commend her all the more.

*He won't lose the game…He couldn't. This is bloody brilliant! I love seeing him like this! Ha!*

She sauntered up to him and tossed her hair. "Moved! in good time: let him that moved you hither  
Remove you hence: I knew you at the first  
You were a moveable." (A/N: sorry for interrupting, but in case you're lost – Petruchio is praising her in every way imaginable and she's telling him to get out…hee hee…I love Katherine…)

Draco snorted, continuing the game, "Why, what's a moveable?"

She snapped at him, "A join'd-stool."

He smirked, sitting down on a nearby wooden chair. "Thou hast hit it: come, sit on me."

*Wouldn't it be funny if I surprised him by "forgetting" my lines…and actually taking his invitation?* Hermione simpered to herself. *This is going to be fun…*

Without any further hesitation, she marched over and sat on his lap. She turned to his face, expecting to see a look of disgust. What she saw was a complete surprise.

*Is he staring at my…EW! *

She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Malfoy! My face is up HERE!"

He grinned at her with a mischievous spark in his gray eyes.

*Why isn't he recoiling from me? Why isn't he pushing me OFF, darn-it!!!? I'm in over my head here…how was I supposed to expect THIS? *

She was even more astonished when he placed his hand on her waist, and she squirmed uncomfortably.

He was obviously enjoying her uneasiness, and he took his time in the loud silence before lazily commenting, "You know, Granger – you were supposed to call me an ass…"

*That ASS!*

Moody observed the couple, unnoticed, but with a strange smile of satisfaction on his deformed face.

***************************************

A/N: There we go….whatddya think?

Devin-Jamie: Hee hee….you found out who it was….are you disappointed?

Whynotu: AWWWW thanks alex! I luv you, girl! Hope you liked this chapter!

PsYcHoJo: I love Ron soooo much, and I thought puppy-ness suited him – glad you liked it!

CH127: So….how's the Shakespeare? I was trying to get the mood of the characters in the play to reflect the mood of the actors towards each other….took me forever to find an appropriate play, but I had to use Shakespeare…I'm glad you liked the line about his "Moderately Eccentric" eye…hee hee….

Kami: Thankx! I hope you liked this chapter, too!

Kate: lol…just so you know, I'm a Kate too and in no way am I trying to suggest that "Kate"'s are "shrews"…hee hee…I love Katherine's character…

You're right about being "locked" in…per say. The doors behind them disappeared…sort of to say that "once you go far enough, you can't go back…" Thanks for your review! Hope you liked the Shakespeare!!

Totaloser: A beta reader is someone who previews the chapters and corrects/makes suggestions to the author before it's actually posted – sort of like someone who gets a "sneak peak." A prick is a British curse word…synonymous with "penis"…and a prat is just an insulting term for someone who is excessively annoying…

Hope that cleared some things up! And you're right….DRACO is YUMMY!!!

That's it for now! REVIEW PLEASE!!! Xoxo-Kate 


	5. French Eyes and Spanish Lies

I OWN NOTHING. 

As usual… more A/N at the end of the chapter! Hope you like it!

Chapter 5 – French Eyes and Spanish Lies

*********************************

Harry stood in the corner of the musky room, his eyes fixated on Hermione's frustrated face. He pitied her, but couldn't help chuckling to himself at her misfortune. It would certainly be interesting to see how well they could pretend to like one another.

His eyes wondered over to the blonde girl from Beauxbatons and her scene partner – a tall, sandy-haired boy who was chosen to play Lucentio. -  It was evident from the bored look on the girl's face that he wasn't a very talented actor. His chair was lazily tilted backwards and his arm swinging nonchalantly from side to side as he droned out his lines. The girl, with her elbows on her knees and her chin propped up on her hands, seemed to be eyeing his chair and wishing that it would fall backwards. 

Harry moved out of the shadows a bit to see her face more clearly and was immediately struck by her beauty. She reminded him of a princess from Muggle story books, with long, curly golden hair that fell around her shoulders, and an aura of elegance. He was smitten.

_It should be illegal to be that gorgeous_, Harry thought to himself, staring into space. A loud crash and a surprised shriek jerked him back to reality.

"Oh dear! Oh my goodness! Professor, he just…FELL! I couldn't help him! Is he okay? Oh I feel like this is my fault…" The pretty girl was rambling, shaken by the sudden fall of her scene partner, who was massaging his shoulder and cradling his arm a few feet away.

Moody examined the boy's limbs and looked up grimly. "I'm afraid it's broken. Unfortunately for us, Madame Pomfrey is on vacation in Cancun," he rolled his eyes, "so I will have to send you to a Muggle hospital."

The boy grimaced, but hauled himself to his feet, and with Moody's assistance, disappeared in a handful of floo powder. 

The old professor turned around, his brow furrowed in meditation. "What to do…what to do…" His twitching eye caught Harry slouched in the corner. "Potter!"

Harry's head whipped up and he jumped to his feet, slightly scared of the older man. 

"Potter, you will be Lucentio. You haven't really missed anything."

Harry stared at him, dumbfounded.

"What's wrong, Mr. Potter? Did I stutter? Off with you!"

He shooed Harry away with his wrinkled hands and resumed his visitations to each group. Harry slowly walked over to where the blonde girl was sitting with her head in her hands.

"It wasn't your fault, you know…" he began, wondering how to start a conversation with this fallen angel. She raised her halo of curls and looked at him with warm gratitude.

"I know, but I still feel awful about it." She shook her head, but tried to make polite conversation. Standing up, she presented her slender fingers to him, expecting a handshake.

"My name is Aviva Vertueux. And you are?"

He took her hand and kissed it, smiling at her French accent and small giggle. "Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you, Aviva."

She smiled back at him. "Well, I suppose the great Harry Potter must be a good actor as well?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Not really. I'm actually pretty mediocre at everything, especially schoolwork. Just ask Hermione." He pointed at his friend across the room, who -he noted- appeared to be growing increasingly aggravated with Malfoy. His gaze shifted back to Aviva's questioning brown eyes. 

"Shall we?" She motioned to a seat beside her and handed him the script. "So, Harry," she began, being careful to pronounce his name correctly, "Before we begin, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself."

Harry wracked his brain for something that would impress her, momentarily forgetting his whole "defeating Voldemort multiple times…" 

_What types of guys do girls like? What should I say…?_

He panicked. "I…eeerrr…speak Spanish…" 

He immediately wanted to kick himself and then put his foot in his mouth. Spanish?! What the bloody hell was he thinking? He only knew a few phrases that he had learned from Hermione, and that was IT. 

_I am such a stupid git…She'll see right through THAT…_

He was surprised when her eyes lit up in genuine interest. "Spanish? Really? I have always wanted to learn Spanish.  My father was going to get me a tutor. It would be so nice if you could help me learn! At least I actually know you!" She clapped her hands in excitement. "I'll call Papa and ask him. But wait," she paused, putting her hand on his arm, "I'm sorry – I was too excited and I never asked you. Would you be interested? We could have sessions after our drama class."

She looked at him hopefully and he became lost in her gaze, drowning in the deep brown pools.

"Sure…I would be happy to help you."

_WHAT?!?! Merlin, I'm in trouble…_

"Wonderful!" She looked at him adoringly, and he couldn't help but think that it was worth it – even if he couldn't speak Spanish. Spending time with Aviva would be absolute heaven for him…He became lost in a daydream.

"Should we go over our scene?" 

Harry snapped back to reality at the light sound of her voice and nodded happily.

She began to read the background information in a tone that reminded Harry of the jingling of bells. After a while he stopped hearing the words, content in listening to the sound itself and only catching a few phrases here and there. 

"Let's see…apparently you, Harry are one of my three inquiring suitors…" she giggled and he smiled to himself. "Your name is Lucentio and you want to have a chance to woo me…you pretend that you are a teacher, hoping that my father will hire you and you will spend time with me…"

He sat up straighter. "What am I pretending to teach you?"

"Latin," she replied. "Even though you can't speak a word!" 

She seemed to find this amazingly hilarious and collapsed into a fit of laughter, leaving Harry to shift his weight nervously.

_What a coincidence…_

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What do you guys think? Here is my A/N. as promised:

Rocky: sooo…does it still fit? I hope so! Thanks for your review – I'm always happy to get new readers!

Vamp Queen: Thank you so much for volunteering to beta for me, but I found someone literally minutes before I read your review. I hope that you'll still continue giving me tips and suggestions though! *hugs*

PsYcHoJo: Home sick? That stinks. I hope you feel better. Thanks for always being a faithful reviewer and I hope I keep you entertained! 

Melisa-malfoy: Thanks so much for your comments! Although I've already found a beta, I would still appreciate your input! Please keep reviewing and let me know if you have any ideas, cuz every thought counts! 

Devin-Jamie: Hee hee…yay! I'm glad you liked it. 

Flexi Lexi: I'm so glad you like my idea for the play. At first I thought about Romeo and Juliet but then Draco didn't seem too much like a Romeo. When I thought about chauvinistic, arrogant, mean males, "Taming of the Shrew" just popped into my head. Just so you know – I like Beauty and the Beast fics, too! SOOO CUTE! This whole Shakespeare thing is a bit harder than I thought, though – a lotta research…hee hee, and I'm finding that I'm learning a lot more about the play. Anyways, let me know if you (or your friend) have any suggestions! Thanks for reviewing!

Hibernia: AWWWW MK thanks sooo much! Even though I forced you to read it and review (heh heh…I'm evil), I still appreciate your comments! I hope you keep reviewing!

The kath: Thanks! I love new reviewers and I hope you liked this chapter too!

Whew…ok that's it. I kept my promise of replying to all my readers, and now I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed. *grin* But don't think I forgot – big hugs and mucho amour to my beta-reader, without whose patience and hard work this story wouldn't be half of what it is. I luv ya Haley! 

Xoxoxo *yawn*

Kate


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